1988 VW Transporter 78PS?

[wardandy]

Hi,

Can anyone tell me what, if any, is the difference between a Transporter 78PS and a T25 / T3?

I'm looking at a '88 Transporter 78PS 1.9l Petrol which is for sale and would like to know a bit more about them, as far as I can see there isn't much difference at all.


Cheers, Andy

[jason k]

its the same vehicle

transporter t25
t3
wedge
are all names for the same vehicle!!

[andisnewsyncro]

I would asssume that 78PS is the engine.
The water cooled was originally offered (in '81 /'82 ? )in 2 versions; 60ps & 78ps (or BHP as we like to call it - not an exact conversion though, multiply PS by 0.986 to get a "real BHP figure" or something close )

So what you're looking at is an '88 T23 /T3 Transporter with a 1.9 Wasserboxer 76bhp (DG ?) engine. Basically it's a T23 / T3 and you're in the right place

Here has been a complete Godsend to me over the last couple of years and pretty much everything that you'll ever need to know about these vans is on here, or is within a few hours of asking.

If its a camper, get some photos of the interior etc and someone will be able to tell you what conversion it is if the owners aren't sure.

Good luck

Andi

[Syncro G]

PS stands for "pferdestarke" (so thats why its always written just as PS!); Its metric horsepower. I'm not sure exactly what makes it metric though as its vertully the same as impereal horsepower, BHP; all metric power stuff is done in kW now anyway - much more useful if you want to work out how many electic fires your using to get up that hill. I'm sure the UK will actively resist using kW for engines though as they make life easyer to understand and that'll be "too confusing" for the british public to adapt to - they'll carry on switching between PS and BHP at random without corectly specifying which is which, though to be fair unless you have a Bugatti Vayron it makes a negligable difference.

[peasant]

PS actually isn't "metric" really, it's just the German version of BHP and therefore HAS to be not quite the same as BHP for some reason.

Theoretically PS should have gone away a loooong, long time ago as KW was introduced as the "official" measurement for engine power and has been in the official documents for ages.

But seemingly Germans are as fond of their PS as Brits are of their pint (as opposed to 0.57 liter) and just will not let it go. Myself, I can't think in KW either, it's meaningless to me and so I'm grateful that to this day car advertisements still mention PS at least in brackets for old folk like me.

[Syncro G]

Well for some resion its often refered to as a metric version of BHP, though I agree I don't see how it can be metric (maybe its a misconception that "its a funny foregn unit so it must be that metric french stuff" thats often untrue). Most german litriture I've seen now seems to quote in kW over PS so I think they have more or less managed to let it go - its not hard to just change really, messing between the two thats the confusing bit - Britain seems to like doing that, the "metric country" that isn't. Friend of mine nearly ploughed the works van into a 2.1m bridge on the weekend. Van clearly states 2.39m on the dash, and luckally the bridge said 2.1m on it but all the signs before the bridge were only in feet - whats the point of them?

Its probubly the british market thats keeping PS going really, maybe claimed to be standardised with germany more likely because we think we're getting BHP which is what we're are familear with, but in reality "BHP" figures commonly quoted now are actully PS figures because they are slightly higher and more impressive. Its an extra few horses on those must have overpowered cars! Looks good in the brochures.

As for the 568ml pint, have 9 of them and it saves you more than a whole glass over buying the quivilent in half litres, thats a trip to the bar saved right there

[CovKid]

Still can't see how you can have a metric horse, which is what horse power is.

[Pepperami]

It's 1.9 DG engine.